American food is impossible to define. Our diverse recipes, menus, and traditions tell a lot about who we are. There is no real recipe for American food, just a few key ingredients defined by history, technology, landscape, culture, and ethnicity.

Key Ingredients: America by Food explains the little known, the everyday, and the obvious through an entertaining and informative overview of our country’s diverse regional cooking and eating traditions. The exhibit explores how food on the American table is rooted in centuries of continuous borrowing and sharing between people across generations, across cultures and across the land. It also underscores the contributions made by Native American cultures to our eating habits and addresses the entrepreneurial spirit on which many food production industries are based, such as those of Heinz and Campbell.

The UA Museum of the North along with the Downtown Association of Fairbanks and the Co-op Market co-sponsored this exhibit produced by the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit was on display at the UAF Community & Technical College and enhanced with stories of a rich legacy of food in Fairbanks. The museum also launched the popular fundraising event Chefs at the Museum as part of the celebration of food inspired by this exhibit and produced a cookbook featuring a collection of Alaska recipes from participants and community members.